Automatic Multishot Operation of an Electromagnetic Launcher

Abstract

The Naval Research Laboratory has developed an automatic electromagnetic launcher system for countermeasure deployment. The launcher operates at 1 Hz and can fire bursts of one to six 44-mm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> projectiles. The launcher is controlled from a computer that permits selection of the bank charging voltage and the number of shots. The present experimental setup consists of a railgun, an autoloader, and a rapid charger with computer control.